The Final Goal of Spirituality

[Guest guest]

When one destroys his egoism and jealousy and identifies, loves and

serves the Lord as a servant, he enters (Vishate cha) the inner

circle of the Lord. Such liberated souls live in the Lord. For

example: Sri Maha Lakshmi lives in the heart of Narayana. Saraswati

lives in the mouth of Brahma and Parvati has penetrated half into

the body of Shiva. But, what is the inner meaning (Nivasishyasi) of

this `entry' into the Lord? When somebody says that you are in his

heart, it does not mean that you have physically entered his heart.

All this is a symbolic language. It means that whatever Lakshmi

feels, that is the feeling of Narayana because the heart is the

abode of feelings. It means that there is no opposition in the

thoughts. Similarly, when there is no opposition in the words, it is

the meaning of Saraswati being in Brahma's mouth. The body

represents action. Parvati and Shiva being joined together in body

means that Shiva and Parvati always act together. These three

represent Trikarnas—mind, words and the body. When all the Trikarnas

are completely surrendered to the Lord, it is the state of monism,

which is possible for devotees.

 

Now God can also enter the devotee. Hanuman was a devotee but was

also an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Balarama, is considered to be one

of the ten incarnations of the Lord; he was equated with the Lord,

but he was actually the incarnation of Adisesha who is a servant of

the Lord. This means that the Lord becomes devotee and the devotee

becomes the Lord. Thus there is no difference between God and the

liberated soul who has entered His innermost circle (Mayite Teshu

chapyaham). Even Narada says that devotees are filled with the Lord.

 

The Advaita scholars want to reach this state directly in the

preliminary stage itself, without any patience. They want to end the

Gita with the second chapter by attaining the self through self-

analysis. This stage is also given by the same Lord. The house owner

called a beggar and asked him to stay in the front porch of the

house. The beggar carefully measured the area of the front porch and

claimed that he is the house owner. This is the state of the Advaita

philosopher. But, what about the devotees like Adisesha and Hanuman?

They were also given place in the front porch. But, they never

claimed to be the house owner. The Lord then called them inside the

house, which is Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. They still said that,

they were beggars and not at all the owners of the house. Finally,

the Lord declared them as the owners of the house. Still they said

that they are not the owners. Balarama was given an equal place

[with God] in the ten incarnations. He was treated as the Lord but

at the end, He turned back to Adisesha and became the bed of the

Lord [in the upper world, Adishesha appears as a thousand-hooded

cobra swimming on the Milk Ocean. The Lord rests on the bed of the

coil of this cobra]. Even though Hanuman was made the future

creator, He remained as the servant of the Lord. The Advaita scholar

is not even one-millionth of Hanuman or Adisesha. Ramanuja was

Adisesha and Madhva was the brother of Anjaneya [Hanuman].

 

Shankara was Lord Shiva Himself, who claimed to be the Lord in human

form (Shivoham). But, others also started saying that they are also

the Lord in human form. For their sake, Lord Shiva took the form of

Hanuman and showed them how a human being should always be a servant

of the Lord. The same Lord Shiva represented a human incarnation as

Adi Shankara by saying "Shivoham" and the same Lord Shiva came as a

devotee in the form of Hanuman. The same Lord Narayana came as Rama

to represent a human being and as Krishna, to represent the human

incarnation. Shiva came first as a servant and only then as a human

incarnation. Similarly, Narayana first came as a human being and

only then as a human incarnation.

 

The last verse of the Gita says that devotees should surrender to

Him alone (Mamekam Sharanam). Therefore, the final goal of the human

being is to recognize the human incarnation and completely surrender

to Him. The first word of the Gita is Dharmakshetre, which means the

field of Pravritti or Dharma. The last verse of the Gita says Sarva

Dharman Parityajya, which is the field of Nivritti. The first person

that comes in the Gita is the blind king Dhritarashtra. The last

person is the enlightened Arjuna. In Pravritti, one has to vote for

Dharma and against Adharma. But in Nivritti, one has to vote for the

Lord in human form even if it means voting against Dharma.

 

At the lotus feet of Shri Datta Swami

surya

http://www.universal-spirituality.org